Baseball Opens Post Season Play on Wednesday
The #7 nationally ranked Northern Essex Community College baseball team will open up post season play on Wednesday (11:00am Haverhill Stadium) in the opening round of the Region 21 Tournament as the top seed for a fifth consecutive season, seeking a fifth straight regional championship.
Haverhill, MA (May 5, 2026) – The #7 nationally ranked Northern Essex Community College baseball team will open up post season play on Wednesday (11:00am Haverhill Stadium) in the opening round of the Region 21 Tournament as the top seed for a fifth consecutive season, seeking a fifth straight regional championship.
The Knights will host fourth seeded Bunker Hill, while the other opening round contest will see second seeded Community College of Rhode Island host Quinsigamond Community College. The double elimination tournament will continue on Friday with three games scheduled to be played at the New England Baseball Complex, the championship round on Saturday will be played at the highest remaining seed in the tournament.
NECC will head into post-season with a 26-7 overall record and 18-0 in region play, leading the region in nearly all statistical categories offensively and defensively. On the mound Jack Kelleher (Haverhill) leads the nation with 87 strikeouts while his 1.13 ERA ranks second in country and he is followed by teammate Dominic Pefine (North Andover) whose 1.33 ERA is third nationally.
Led by David Castillo's (Boston) .477 batting average, the Knights are among the nations best and lead the region in the team batting categories with marks of .341/.561/.535 for batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage. Speed on the bath paths might be the Knights greatest strength as they rank second nationally with 213 stolen bases, led by Jaren Megan (Fairhaven) with 36.
The winner of the Region 21 Tournament will advance to host the Northeast District Tournament May 15-17. The district champion will advance to the eight team NJCAA World Series May 23-28 at TVC Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, TN.
Region 21 Tournament Schedule
Wednesday May 6th
Game 1: #4 Bunker Hill @ #1 Northern Essex – 11:00am Haverhill Stadium
Game 2: #3 Quinsigamond @ #2 CCRI – 2:00pm CCRI Warwick
Friday May 8th @ New England Baseball Complex - Northborough
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 9:45am Field 1
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 9:45am Field 2
Game 5: Gamer 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 30 minutes after conclusion Game 1 and 2 – Field 1
Saturday May 9th @ Highest Remaining Seed
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – TBD
Game 7: If Necessary